Lubricating system for explosive-engines.



K 0. E. MEAD; LUBRICTIN SYSTEM FOII EXPLOSIVE ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 7u I9 I 2.

9 l We? I Patented June 20, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

@Hof/m c. E, MEAD. LUBRICATING SYSTEM FOR EXPLOSIVE ENGINES.

'APPLICATION FILED MAR. 7 1912.

Pm-@med 1.1m@ 20, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE MEAD ENGNE COMPANY, 03F

-VDAYTN, GHO, A CORPORATION'OF OHIO.

LUBRCQLTING SYSTEM FOR, EXPLOSIVE-ENGINES.

= To ZZ H'tom 'it may concern:

lie it known that l, Crans E. lllnxn, a'

citizen of the. United States. residing at Dayton. 1u the county of lllontgomery and State of Ohio. have invented certain new and useful. Improvements 1n Lubricatlng Systems foililxplosive-llngines, of `which .the followlng 1s a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanyingl dra iving. Y v

This invention relates to a lubricating.

system for explosive engines and is designed more particularly for use in connection with rotary valve engines. The object of the invention is to4 provid a simple and positive method or means for liti equipped with. my invention; lFig. 3 shows a modified form of the invention which einbodies an automatic controlling device for the lubricant; and lfig. -l is another modification of the device showing the 4saine applied to a splash lubricating system.

ln carryingout the invention ll introduce the lubricating agent, which is usually in the form of an oil, into the explosive miie ture before 'the latter enters the engine cylinder. This may be accomplished in various ways, as by connecting the intake manifold with a suitable source of lubrilcant supply. ln the normal operation of the engine the lubricant is drawn through y the valves ofthe engine into the cylinders and portionsof the same will adhere to 'the valves and to the Walls of the cylinder, thus adequately lubricating the same and this Without in 'any way inipairing the quality of the explosive mixture. ln the present instance l have shovvn the invention as applied to a rotary valve engine, to which it is particularly Well tadapted, although it is by no means limited to such engines. ln

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application 1ed March .7, 1912.

Serial No. 682314.

Fig. 1 l have shown the upper portion of such an engine in section and it will be' noted that vit comprises a body portion provided with one or more cylinders, l, one only of which is shown, and valve chambers Q and 3 conununi'cating with the opposite sides ofthe cylinder or cylinders and also .communicating with the intake and exhau`st manifolds. 4 and 5., respectively? Mounted in each valve chamber is a rotary valve G whichv is rotated continuously in one direction. such an engine a suitable source of lubricant supply, such as an ordinary oil cup 7, is connected with the manifold l and as the suction created in the manifold by the move,- ment of the piston in the engine draws the explosive mixture and the lubricant through the manifold it will come in Contact with vthe Vcylindrical surface of the valve when this overlaps the port. ln the ordinary op.

eration of the valve there is a very brief interval only of the period during which the valve is open that the port in the valve registers exactly with the port leading to theA manifold. For the remainder of the time that the valve is open one or the other of the edges of the valve Will overlap the port leading to the manifold and will, consequently, come in contact with the lubricant containing mixture. Sufficient of the lubricant will adhere to the surface of the valve and be carried into the valve cham ber to adequately lubricate the valve. rll`lne lubricant containing mi'rxture will, of course, contact with the inner surface of the cylinder, thus again permitting the lubricant to adhere to the surfaceto be lubricated. lur- ;ther, the compression of the mixture Within the cylinder forces the same against the surface of the exhaust valve, thus causing sufficient of the lubricant to adhere to this valve to lubricate it. lt is apparent, therefore, that bymerely introducing the 'lubricant into the explosive mixture 'both the valves and the cylinder are adequately lu bricated.

Jlhe oil cup or other source of supply may be connected with the manifold on either side ofthe throttle valve. llhe suction above the throttle .valve varies with the position of the valve, that is, if the valve is almost vclosed there will be a much greater suction -in the manifold above the valve than there will belif the valve is entirely open. Forv `llamtcnted l une 2d, llllltl.

In applying the invention to ieu this reason-a more uniform flow of`oil from the cup to the manifoldv will be# secured if the cup is connected with the manifold below the throttle valve, where the suction is much more uniform, and, in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings I have shown an oil cup of ordinary construction connected with the manifold below the throttlevalve, as shown at 7, which is ofthe butterfly type and is arranged at the point of union of the manifold with the carbureter. It wil-l be apparent, however, that* the connection between the oil cup or other source of supply and the manifold may be made at any suit able point and the flow of oilautomatically controlled'. One-form of automatic control I have shown in Fig. 3 in which I have provided an oil cup 'S of ordinary construction and have connected the same by means of a pipe 9 with the manifold above the throttle valve. The oil cup has the usual vertically movable controllingmember 10 which is connected to one end of a bell crank lever 11, the other arm of which is connected by means of a link 12 with a valve. The piston will, of course, be subjected to the suction within the manifold and this suction will tend to move the piston toward that end of the cylinder nearest the manifold. This movement causes the needle 1() to move. downward and thus reduce the flow of oil through the outlet opening of the oil cup. lVhen the suction inthe manifold becomes less the spring on the needle will move it downward and draw the piston toward that end of the cylinder remote from the manifold.A In this manner a substantially uniform flow of oil `is maintained from the cup to theA manifold, it being obviousthat the strong suction 'will partially close the outlet to the oil cup and Will, therefore, draw less oil from the cup, while the lighter suction will allow the outlet to the oil cup to remain open to a greater extent and, consequently, the lighter suction will move substantially the same amount of oil-as the heavier suction moves.

The suction in the manifold may be utilized to automatically control the lubrication of the engine when the lubricant is ap# plied in some manner other than by mixing it with the explosive mixture. In' Fig. f1 I have .illustrated one apparatus which can be so controlled. I have there shown a part `of a splash system for lubricating an engine cylinder which comprises an oil pan 17 mounted on a rockshaft 18 having an arm 19 whichis connected by a link 20 with the piston rod 13 of the cylinder 15 similar to thatvshown and described in connection with Fig. 3. The oil is dipped from the pan 17 by a finger Q1 carried by a connecting rod 22. By moving thepan 17 toward or away complished by the suction in the manifold.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that I have provided means for lubrlcating the cylinder and valve of the engine which is very simple yet highly eilicient; which requires very little mechanism and 1s automatnin its action; and further,

that I have provided a mechanism for automatically controlling the feed of oil from the oil cup, which mechanism will be automatically controlled according to the suction in the manifold and which suction varies inversely to the speed of the engine.

While I have shown and described certain arrangements of apparatus for carrying out my invention it will be understood that these are chosen for the purpose of illustration only and that I do not desire to be limited to the details of construction shown and described, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art. y

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to seeure by Letters Iatent, is

1. The combination, with an explosive engine comprising cylinder, an intake passage leading to said cylinder, a valve to control the communication between said passage and said cylinder, and a throttle valve to control the flow of explosive mixture through said passage, of a conduit com munieating with said passage on that side of said throttle valve remote from said engine and also communicating with` a source of`lubricant supply. l

2. The combination, with an explosive engine having an intake manifold, a lubricant receptacle, and an adjustable connection between said lubricant receptacle and said manifold, of means controlled by the suction within said manifold toautomatically adjust the connection between said lubricant receptacle and said manifoldto points between the limits of its adjustment, to regulate the flow of lubricant to the manfold accordingto the requirements of the engine.

3. The combination, with an explosive engine having an intake manifold, a lubricant receptacle, and an adjustable connection between said lubricant receptacle and said manifold, of a cylinder communicating with said manifold, a piston .in said cylinder, and means `actuated by said piston tiamina.

regulate the flow olf lubricant to said manifold according to the requirements ot the engine. y

1. rl`he combination, with an explosive engine having amaniifold, and an adjustable lubricating device for said engine, and means controlled by the suction in said manifold to adjust said lubricating device to points between the limits of its .adjust-- nient to regulate the flow of lubricant according to the requirements ot the engine.

5. The combination, with an explosive engine having a manifold, a throttle valve for said manifold, and an adjustable lubrieatingdevice for said engine, ot suction controlled mechanism communicating with said manifold between said engine and said throttle valve and operatively connected with said lubricating` device to adjust tlie same to points between the limits of its adjustmcnt to regulate the flow of lubricant according to the requirements of tlie engine.

(j. ln an internal combustion engine provided with a. t'uel inlet passage, a source of 'lubricating fluid, a device for controlling' the flow otV lubricating :duid from said source to a part ot' said engine and means acting on said device continually urging it toa position t0 permit tlie dow of lubrieatlng fluid and means arranged. to oppose said last named means controlled automatically by the load on the engine when tlie same is running for varying the position ot said device.

7. ln an internal combustion engine liar ing a tucl inlet passage, the source oit lubricating Huid, a valve by which the llow oi lubricant trom said source is controlled. and means itorl :1Lit )i1iatically opening said valve upon a decrease of vacuum in the tuel inlet passage ot tlie engine.

8. ln an internal combustion engine l1av ing a fuel inlet passage, a source of lubri* eating material, a valve by which the tlow olf lubricant from said source to a part-ot said. engine is controlled, means acting on said valve 'to normally maintain it open and means opposing said last named means to automatically close said valve upon -au increase oi vacuum in said tuel inlet passage.

ln testimony wliere`of,l aiiix my signature in presence ot two witnesses.

, v Clltllbl E. lillEitlD.

ll/Titnesses llliLLniM M. lli/la'r'rinnvs, Hanmn'r L. HMIMAKER. 

